Hair-spring adjustment.



F. ECAUBERT.

HAIR 'SPRING ADJUSTMENT.

APPLICATION men ocr. a1. 1917.

1,311,502. Patented July 29, 1919.

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F. ECAUBERT.

HAIR SPRING ADJUSTMENT.

APPLICATION man OCT- 31. 1911.

I Patented July 29, 1919.

2 SHEET$SHEET 2.

anvwtoz rnnnnnrc ECAUBERT, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

mmsrame ADJUSTMENT.

Application filed October 31, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERIO EOAUBERT, a citizen of the United States, residin in the city, county, and State of New Y brk, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in'Hair-Spring Adjustments, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates in general to the adjustment of hair springs for regulating timepieces.

It has already been proposed to effect the adjustment by primary and secondary devices, the former extending over a relatively great range and the latter being intended to effect the delicate final adjustment over a relatively small range. In my prior application entitled Hair-spring and balance mountings, filed January 2 lth, 1916, Serial No. 73,949, I have shown a mechanism of this general type, in which a primary adjustment frame is pivotally mounted with respect to the bridge piece and carries a secondary adjustment means which operates by transversely deflecting a portion of the hair spring between two spaced-apart clamps of the primary adjustment device, the one or the other of these two clamps being opened at the time, so as to permit a portion of the hair spring to be longitudinally shifted through the open clamp to lengthen or shorten the efiective length, as the case may be.

The particular improvement contemplated by the present invention resides in the manner of eflecting the transverse deflection of the portion of the hair spring between two spaced-apart clamps, and this is accomplished by a device which enables the amount of adjustment effected thereby to be readily observed upon a scale.

An embodiment of the invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which.

Figure 1 is a face View illustrating the arrangement of the parts in normal position Fig. 2 is a similar view with the clamp, hair spring and deflecting lever removed;

, Fig. 3, is acentral vertical section through the parts of the device shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail view of the clamp member;

Fi 1, illustrating the position of the hair spring against the stop and its engagement by the clamp, Y

Specification of Letters Patent.

g. 5 is a section onthe line VV, Fig.

Patented. July 29, 1919.

Serial No. 199,476.

Fig. 6 is aperspective view showing a construction of the hair spring deflecting lever;

Fig. 7 is a face view of a modified form 1 of the device in which the deflecting lever springs over the face of the bridge; and

Fig. 8 is a vertical section through the parts of the device shown in Fig. 7.

Referring more specifically to said drawings, 10 indicates the bridge piece upon which is mounted any approved capstone mounting 11 for the staff of the balance wheel. The outer end of the hair spring is shown at 15 and it will be understood that it may be of any desired form, with its inner end secured to the balance wheel by the ordinary colletconstruction or otherwise. The extreme outer end of the spring is shown at the right, the left end beingbroken away at the recurved portion which is used in the type of spring here illustrated and more fully shown in my application Serial No. 7 39%.9, filed January 2e11, 1916.

The primary adjustment frame 16 is pivotally mounted on the under-surface of bridge 10-by means of the beveled disk 17 held against the under-surface of the bridge 10 by means of the screws 18 which are operated from the upper face of the capstone mounting 11 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The primary adjustment frame is constructed more or less in the form of a small part of a circle and is recessed at 19 to pro vide space for the clamp member 20 which is seated against the bottom of the recess 19 and held in place by a pivot screw 21 as shown in Fig. 1. The hair spring engaging surfaces of the clamp member 20 preferably conform with the curvature of the hair spring 15 and operate to press the hair spring against similarly curved surfaces 22, 23 on the primary adjustment frame, which surfaces constitute stationary jaws in the hair spring clamping operation. The two sides of clamp member 20 are independently operated by means of cam screws 24:, 25 which are fitted, as by threading, in socket portions 26, 27 of the adjustment frame, which socket portions are rendered yielding by cutting through the adjustment frame at lines 28, 29 and the bores 30, 31 into which said cuts 28, 29 extend. The socket portions 26, 27 are thus virtually resilient arms which carry the cam screws 24, 25 for actuatin'g the clamp member 20 at one .side orv the other. It willl beunderstoodthat the clamp member 20 is sufficiently resilient or entire width of the clamp so that it is readily placed in proper position to be engaged by the clamp and at the same time is eflectively maintained in the proper'operatingplane.

. Normally, the hair spring is gripped by one tion 36" disposed substantiallymidway be side of the clamp member 20, but left free at the other side, as shown-in Fig. 1. The shape ofclamp member 20 and the recess 19 is such as to provide clearance space for the transverse deflection of. that portion of the hair spring which is disposed between the two' sides of'the clamp member. To

accomplish this deflecting action, I provide a deflecting member in the form of. an arm or lever 32 having a suitably recessed tubularhead portion33 which may be threaded into a suitable socket 351 formed in the bottom ofthe wall of recess 19. The arm or lever 32 extends upwardly in the present embodiment, and swings over a scale 35 by which the degree of movement may be observed. The recess formed in the head portion 33 is relatively narrow at one side as shown at 36 and relatively wider at the other side as shown at 37. This recess has a bottom wall 38 at either side which is intended to be flush with the bottom wall of recess 19 or at least not to project aboveit, so as not to interfere with the operation of properly positioning the air spring in the adjustment frame. This recess 36, 37 is for example open at the top or upper face so that t e hair spring may be introduced into it in an axialdirection.

The purpose of the peculiar dimensions of the recess 36, 37 at the two sides of'the head 33 will be apparent when it is stated thatithe portion 36 constitutes the actuating portion, whereas portion 37 is merely clear ance space so as not to interfere with the proper deflecting operation. The lever is" positioned preferably with the recess portween thetwo sides of clamp member 20.

' With the parts occupying the position shown in Fig. 1, itwill be apparent that'by swingingfthe armor lever 32 to one side or the its. normal central position, the outer lend 15 ofthe hair spring willbe other. .of

drawn in or projected farther out from the right hand side of thejclamp-member 20.

Ificamscrew 24 is turned to lock the outer end, of the hair spring, while the deflecting lever 32 is in the shifted position, and-cam screw 25 isithen operated to release the hair spring from the left hand side of the clamp,

the transverse deflection of the hair spring will be transmitted'to the effectlve length of the hair spring as a change in length.

This change in length will necessarily be scale 35. If cam screw 25 is then operated.

to close the left hand side of the clamp member '20, the change in length may be retained independently of any subsequent change beyond the effective length. Preferably, however, the right hand side of the clamp is then opened to ermit free expansion and contraction of t 1e inoperative portion of the hair spring.

The primary adjustment of the hair spring may be effected by opening both sidesof the clamp member and placing the hair spring in what is supposed to approximate the proper position therein. The lefthand jaw, which terminates the effective length of thehair spring, is then closed, while the other jaw is left open, the time piece being then tested for accuracy of its measurement of time. If the test shows the time piece to run slow, for example, lever 32 may be deflected to the right in Fig. 1, thus de. pressing the' curvature of the hair spring between the two sides of the clamp member, and causing the extreme end of the hair spring, at the right, to project farther through the right'hand jaw, and while in this position the right hand jaw is closed and the left hand jaw opened. The lever 32 is then released and it automatically returns to normal position due to the elasticity of the hair spring. This operation draws of the lever 32' through a certain number of degrees of scale 35 has resulted in a certain time correction, and further correction is necessary, the operating lever 32 may in the next operation be shifted a number of degrees, thereby shown'to be necessary for making the final correction.

a reverse change from that which is'effected by movement ofthe'leve'r to the right, prov ded the hair spring is locked in both in- 7 Obviously, movement of the lever 32 to the left effects.

stancesat the same sidejof the clamp. jIf

the hair spring is 'locke d only in the other side of the clamp ously be reversed.

The deflecting device above described' i sin effect an eccentric lever devicepthe walls of' the recess 36' which engage the hair spr ng, being'spaced from the axis ofthe head 33, and the arm 32 is of relatively great) the result would} obvi length as compared with the distance of the recess walls from such axis. The eccentric action is further applied transversely of the hair spring so that an extremely slight longitudinal shifting of the hair spring is accomplished by means of a relatively much greater motion of the hair spring. The clamp member 20 constitutes in effect two independently operated spaced-apart clamps for securing the hair spring at the two points beyond the effective length, and the lever device 32, 33 constitutes a means for transversely deflecting the portion of the hair spring extending between these two clamps.

The construction shown and described is only to illustrate the principles involved, and obviously the construction and arrangement of the parts may be considerably varied without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, proper performance of the functions involved does not necessarily require the location of the primary adjustment frame under the bridge, or that the deflecting lever should extend upward instead of in some other direction, or that the cams screws, deflecting lever head, and such parts be threaded into their sockets as shown, instead of being mounted in some other equivalent manner such as would still permit them to perform their functions properly.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Fig. 7, the hair spring 15 is engaged by the two sides of the clamp 20 which is mounted in a primary adjustment frame 16, precisely the same as that already shown and described with the exception that the upper scale portion is omitted. The cam screws 24, 25 operate in the same way as before to close the clamp jaw against the hair spring at either side. In place of the defleeting lever 32, which is shown as projecting upwardly in Fig. 1, I employ in this embodiment of the invention, a deflecting lever 32, which swings over the face of bridge 10 and has a slotted or recessed head portion 33 similar to that shown in Fig. 1, except that it is made' longer to bring the lower side of. lever 32 flush with the upper side of the bridge 10. The capstone mounting may, in this instance, be arranged longitudinally of the bridge as shown at 11 and act as a stop for the lever. The operation is in all respects substantially the same as that already described.

I claim 1. A hair spring adjustment comprising in combination, a hair spring, a pair of spaced-apart independently operable clamps for securing the hair spring at two points beyond the effective length, and a lever device for transversely deflecting the portion of hair spring extending between said clamps.

2. A hair spring adjustment comprising in combination, a hair spring, a pair of spaced-apart independently operable clamps for securing the hair spring at two points beyond the effective length, and an eccentric lever device for transversely deflecting the portion of hair spring extending be tween said clamps.

3. A hair spring adjustment comprising in combination a hair spring, a pair of spaced-apart independently operable clamps for securing the hair spring at two points beyond its eflective length, and a rotary deflecting device having a recessed head portion in which a portion of the hair spring between said spaced-apart clamps is disposed.

4. A hair spring adjustment comprising in combination, a hair spring, a pair of spaced-apart independently operable clamps for securing the hair spring at two points beyond its effective length, said clamps being open for introduction and withdrawal of the hair spring in an axial direction, and a positive stop extending across the said clamps from one side to the other for arresting the hair spring and maintaining it in proper position to be engaged by said clamps.

5. A hair spring adjustment comprising in combination, a hair spring, a pair of spaced-apart independently operable clamps for securing the hair spring at two points beyond its effective length, said clamps being open for introduction and withdrawal of the hair spring in an axial direction, and a surface by which said clamps are guided in the opening and closing operations, extending across the said clamps from one side to the other, for arresting the hair spring and maintaining it in proper operating position to be engaged by said clamps.

FREDERIC ECAUBERT.

Copies 0! this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of I'atents,

Washington, D. G. 

